this March 23, 2010, file photo, President Barack Obama reaches for a pen to sign the health care bill in the East Room of the White House in Washington. Obama's re-election has guaranteed the survival of his health care law.AP File Photo

JACKSON, MI – Jackson-area small business owners who have less than 50 full-time employees should not have to fret much about the federal Affordable Care Act.

The law does not require employers to provide health insurance for their employees, but provisions do apply for businesses with more than 50 full-time workers, said Mary Huttlinger of the national nonprofit Small Business Majority.

Along with that, some small businesses are eligible for a tax credit of up to 35 percent of the cost of the health insurance they provide to their workers, she said.

“Hopefully that will ease some of that financial burden,” Huttlinger said to a crowd of 85 business officials and community members at the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce’s Economic Club Luncheon Monday at Cascades Manor House.

Huttlinger talked about the Affordable Care Act and what it means for small businesses in Michigan. The presentation was not meant to be a debate on whether the law was bad or good but to educate business owners of what they should know about the law and its impact on their bottom line, she said.

“We’re trying to move forward in helping small businesses,” she said.

The federal health care law expands health insurance coverage, bans insurers from denying coverage to people with preexisting conditions and requires almost everyone to obtain insurance.

Huttlinger gave a “nuts-and-bolts” overview of the Affordable Care Act as it relates to employers.

She noted that many small businesses struggle with insurance costs and continue to see premiums double on an annual basis. They are making sacrifices – such as not investing in new equipment or forgoing more marketing and advertising – to try to keep up with the costs.

However, businesses that have fewer than 25 full-time workers and average wages less than $50,000 are now eligible to receive a tax credit of up to 35 percent of the health insurance they provide, she said.

Republican critics – such as U.S. Congressman Tim Walberg, R-Tipton – want to repeal the law, saying the mandate is an overreach by the federal government and that the Affordable Care Act is too costly.

On Monday, Walberg said that the law has made business owners hesitant to expand and invest more in their businesses.

“It’s a bit disconcerting to hear that,” Walberg said at the luncheon. “We’re now finding out what’s in (the law) and it’s not good.”